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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Review; Pearl Izumi SyncroInfinity

So earlier this year I was approached by Pearl Izumi and asked if I would like to review a pair of their shoes…err hell yeah I replied! After perusing their website and a bit of dialog with their representative I opted for a pair or SyncroInfinity road shoes, here’s the pitch:

I was attracted to these as the offer cushioning and stability and while I am no Clydesdale nor am I heavy on my feet I am striving to shift to being more of a mid or forefoot striker and the SKYDEX sounded like it had received some serious R&D dollars which would hopefully help me out in this effort; forefoot striking is more efficient and economical and the catalyst for less injuries.

And so here’s the reality: I was immediately impressed with the quality, well built, solid and slick. I mooched about them for a couple of days just walking about and the like before running in them to make sure there was not going to be any problems. The first thing I noticed was the lining was completely smooth with no seams and therefore minimal in any areas that could rub and/or blister. The lacing is very snug; it connect through to the sole of the shoe holding and supporting your foot very nicely, as it should for a stability shoe, initially the heel felt a little tight but that soon dissipated after an hour or two and I put it down to them being brand new and not formed to my feet. The toe box is nice and roomy (like my Asics Kayano 15s) and overall the fit was good, I sized up half a size from my day to day shoes.

I now have over 60 miles (approx 17% shelf life) on them with the longest run of 10 miles and I feel qualified to report on the ride. One observation is that the shoe is warm, that is my feet tend to get a little toasty in them, this I have to assume is due to the extra layer of fabric used to create the seamless liner; it could be a good thing in the colder months but in the summer may cause problems. Overall the stability is good and the cushioning is supportive…to a point and here is where they are a let down; the sole cushioning while good is not as good as the Kayano’s I reviewed both shoes websites and as best I can tell the SyncroInfinity uses a cellular shaped foam called SkyDex compared to the Kayanos which uses a SoLyte Foam and Gel insert and that gel would seem to be what makes all the difference. I would understand it more if the SyncroInfinity was substantially cheaper but it's within $10 of the Asics

In conclusion a good shoe, well built and with some nice features but if you looking for a fully cushioned forefoot and stable ride they might not be the shoe for you. So, sorry PI I am sticking to Asics for now.

12 comments:

I'm a big fan of PI shoes, but then I came from a triathlon background. The biggest benefit from wearing PI shoes was the seamless lining of the shoe, this made it very easy to go out on the run without socks on the last leg of the race. In short to medium distance races transition times could make all the difference and not putting on socks cut down on time. I know PI is trying to market themselves as a runners shoe, so we will see how that goes. Good review, I just thought I would this my 2 cents in since I've worn PI shoes for a while now.

Stuart, i was curious to hear what you would say about these as PI is the brand i have "cheated" on NB with twice now over the past few years. i bought my SyncroInifinitys at the Chicago Marathon and just never felt they were supportive enough for long distances--i think the longest i ever ran in mine was 12 miles and i felt like that was pushing it. like you though, i did enjoy the seam-free interior. they seemed lighter than my NB 1224s so i liked wearing them on shorter distances, but wouldn't make them my primary pair of shoes.

great thorough and fair review. i'm not a trail runner and love my gel kayano 15s too. i haven't seen the PIs in Canada yet but will look for them out of curiousity now. its cold enough here most of the year that extra warmth isn't a bad thing.

I'm a hs runner and run about 40 miles a week. I have always ran in nikes but recently decided to try the syncroinfinity out. I agree with all he said, it has some great features, I thought it was harder feeling than my nikes, but were smooth in there transition from heel to toe. one problem, they gave me plantar faceitis on occasion. I had never had this injury before and had been logging 40 miles a week, for weeks.

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I hesitate to call myself an endurance athlete but I have run anything from 5k to 100 miles, finished triathlons from Sprint through Ironman and ridden a bike for hundreds of miles over multiple days including several "Everesting" rides and Dirty Kanza 200. I am at best an over enthusiastic age grouper with thick streak of determination, a thin streak of bravery and a pinch of stupidity. Attrition and distance are my friends and coffee and beer are my fuel!